Volkswagen gives name to new US minivan

( dpa ) - A new minivan to be unveiled at the Chicago motor show next month will be named the Volkswagen Routan, the German company behind the project said Wednesday. The model is to be manufactured at a Chrysler factory in Canada.

The ending of the name echoes the European model names Sharan for Volkswagen's biggest multi-utility vehicle (MUV) and Touran for its minivan on the Golf platform.

Volkswagen has been losing money in the United States and hopes That developing a minivan with US tastes in mind will fill a gap in its range and win back sales.

Chrysler signed a deal two years ago with Volkswagen to build the vehicle when it was still part of DaimlerChrysler. The US company has since regained its independence with backing from private equity investor Cerberus.